Birmingham Daily Post (08/Sep/1891) - The Linthwaite Murder

The following is a transcription of a historic newspaper article and may contain occasional errors.

THE LINTHWAITE MURDER.

James Stockwell, the man suspected of committing the Linthwaite murder, was arrested by a member of the Huddersfield borough police force at his mother's house, at Paddock, yesterday. Stockwell, tired of being hunted down, went to his mother's house some time during the night, and at a few minutes past eight yesterday morning Mrs. Stockwell went to the house of Police Constable Hiram Taylor, stationed at Paddock, a suburb of Huddersfield, and informed him that her son was at her house awaiting arrest. The officer at once proceeded to the place and took the man into custody. He was a wretched object to look at, having apparently slept and lived as best he could on the moors.

Stockwell, who is aged thirty-two, and described as a teamer at Milnsbridge, was brought before the Huddersfield borough magistrates during the day, charged with the wilful murder of Catherine Dennis. Upon the charge being read over to him prisoner, amid considerable sensation, pleaded guilty. The Chief Constable, having stated the facts of the case, applied that the accused should be handed over to the county authorities. The magistrates having granted the application, the prisoner was remanded to the West Riding Police Court across the road, where he was brought before the county magistrates, and remanded for eight days. Superintendent Pickard stated that the prisoner had been searched for night and day for the seventeen days he had been missing. Accused appeared to be weak and ill, and was assisted to and from the court by two officers, his weakness being evidently due to want of food. He will be removed to Wakefield gaol.

Stockwell has been fairly communicative, He states that during the seventeen days he has been missing he has not been more than two or three miles away from Linthwaite, and during most of the time has been in the immediate neighbourhood. On one occasion he heard policemen talking about him, and laying plans for his arrest. He says that he had nothing substantial to eat, having to content himself with wild herbs, not daring to show himself near a habitation. When some workmen surrounded Honley Wood he was there, but his thorough knowledge of the locality enabled him to escape. Stockwell says he gladly devoured some beans which he found in his mother's garden yesterday morning, being the first solid food he had had. It was a shock to the mother to find her son in the house, and last night she was completely prostrate. At the railway station yesterday, when Stockwell was being removed to Wakefield Gaol, a very exciting scene took place, and it was with great difficulty that he was got into the train in safety.